Oil from Houston Ship Channel spill closes beaches to south

Some beaches in Galveston remained closed over the weekend and volunteers moved south to Port Aransas, Mustang Island and Padre Island to clean up tar balls and oiled wildlife in the aftermath of last week’s oil spill in the Houston Ship Channel. A collision between a barge and an oil tanker spilled an estimated 168,000 gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico near Texas City on March 22, closing the channel for three days.

Off the Corpus Christi coast, oil patches or tar balls were spotted at J.P. Luby Park, near Bob Hall Pier and between beach access roads 2 and 3. Cleanup crews were sent to Rockport and Aransas Pass ahead of the spill. In Galveston, volunteers spent the weekend clearing the beaches from 37th to 61st streets as well as beaches on the West End. The East End of Galveston Island and Seawolf Park remained closed as of Sunday.